2023-04-14
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Let me repeat RO 14: 17 from last week, as it matters a lot. “The Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Just in case we were wondering what righteousness means, the Lord is telling us that it is something positive in our lives, bringing us peace and joy when we allow the Holy Spirit to take charge of them. Moreover, when GA 5: 22-23 is added to that, we can also demonstrate: love, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, the gifts of the Holy Spirit to them for our inner peace (including the peace we have with our Lord). These things lead to being truly happy in the eternal sense. Our Lord has three more components that we were created to demonstrate: humility [1 PET 5: 5], Scriptural studiousness [2 TIM 3: 16-17], prayerfulness and thanksgiving [1 THESS 16-18]. (As I was writing this) the Holy Spirit commanded me to remind all of us that praising the Lord and learning to trust Him should be added to the list [PS 34: 1-3; PHIL 4: 6-9]). Staying with the truth can also be included [EPH 6: 13-18]. Note that each element of righteous living can be found in the Scriptures, which I’ve posted here. So, there can be no question about what the Lord includes in teaching us that we were created to live righteous lives!
These elements seem like too long a list for us to include in our lives, and that would have been true had we not been created with the capability to make difficult choices, that go against our natural desires. We need to remember how the flesh and the Spirit are opposite to each other [GA 5: 16-18]. Nowhere in this Spirit-led directive will you find the Lord saying this would be easy. I happen to believe that our lives on earth are a testing ground for our faith and practices. The whole idea here is to cause us to desire the crowns awarded by Christ at the time of our physical deaths. To me, this and the inner peace and joy that we experience on earth and hopefully in heaven are sufficient motivation for us to make difficult choices-ones that go against the flesh. Like all believers, I want to be glorified at physical death, so that I can be a part of COL 3: 3-4, “For you have died and your life is not hidden with Christ in God. When Christ Who is your life, appears, then you too will appear with Him in glory.”
A much more succinct description of this spiritually-desired lifestyle is being Christlike. Our Lord made it clear that we should pray often and listen for God’s direction. MT 14: 22-23 gives us a picture of how important prayer and trust really are to Him. “Immediately (just before He would walk on water and after He spoke to the crowds) Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to the other lakeshore, while He dismissed the crowd. After He had dismissed them, He went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray.” Christ was allowing the Holy Spirit to lead His like, as usual, being sure to do all the Father wanted. These verses let us know how important prayer to receive the leadership of the Father via the Holy Spirit was to Him. He wanted us to know this, so that we would follow suit.
PRAYER: O Lord, how can we not appreciate how clear You are with what is expected of those who live a righteous lifestyle?! You never leave us hanging or wishing You would explain Yourself further. Some might complain from their lack of understanding why every detail is not found in the Bible. However, if we think about it, You leave out things that would interfere with us coming to faith. After all, You want to know the status of our heart-attitudes. You are a fair and equitable Deity, One that always tells the truth [HE 4: 12]. EPH 6: 14 tells us to “stand firm and put on the belt of truth buckled around your waist…” This element of the armor of God would in its absence cancel out all the others, and that is not Your will for us. We thank and praise You for the blessing of clarity in Your hopes for us and Your love from which we can never be separated [RO 8: 36-39]. We acknowledge Your will as our commands, in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: I’m commanded to discuss the issue of our often-imperfect trust in God. Trust is not something we can acquire in a short time. Our earthly lives are determined before we are born by the Lord, our Creator, who knows exactly how long we will take to acquire it. Our earthly lives are a testing ground and an education that each of us needs before we become mature in our faith. The Father has given the responsibility for our final judgment to the Lord Jesus [DN 7: 13-14]. Christ and the Father are two personalities of our God, so they can claim genuinely to be the same Being [JN 14: 9 & 11]. The third personality of our Triune God is the Holy Spirit, the Vehicle by which God communicates with us, helps us in times of indecision or trouble, encourages us, explains things to us, and directs us. How blessed we who are that who my pastor calls “Jesus followers” really are to have such a good and gracious God! Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn, JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2023. All Rights Reserved.
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